THE WAC TEAM EXPERIENCE
FOR PARENTS
THREE WAYS TO SHOW UP
"YOU'LL NEVER SWIM ALONE."
A motto ever so gently borrowed from the famous Liverpool Football Club. It means that nobody at WAC, swimmer or parent, should be a stranger.
How do we make sure that happens?
Great question. Thanks for asking.
Here's exactly what we ask of you, and it fits on one page:
The one job every family does:
WORK One shift at every meet your swimmer swims in.
Two shifts at the meets WAC hosts.
That's the whole enchilada. You can work out what your family owes for the entire year, in September, in about fifteen seconds.
But just to be clear, it's required, not as a gesture of goodwill, because a meet doesn't run without these shifts.
But wait, there's more!
The Three WAC Team Experience Roles
Click to learn more
Meet Volunteers
Every Family, required
If you're new here: a swim meet does not happen without parents. Not "runs more smoothly." Does not happen. Every race needs timers behind every lane and a Head Timer waiting just in case of emergency (like Maverick in Top Gun), and officials on deck.
SO, THE rule: DO one shift at every meet your swimmer swims in. Two at the meets WAC hosts.
Why two SHIFTS at our own meets?
Because that's what a good host does, and hosting meets is where we make a pretty decent chunk of change. A hosted meet needs roughly a million filled slots across officials, timers, concessions, hospitality, setup, and ribbons, so while the details might change, plan on stepping up.
Never been to a swim meet? Time at your first one.
Standing behind a lane with a watch is the fastest way to learn what's happening in the water and meet other WAC kids. Plus, it's the best seat in the building.
ARE Level G families exempt?
Yep. Your little tyke's first season can be a lot. But you're welcome to step up anyways, and we promise you'll get the hang of it real fast.
genuinely CAN'T make a shift work?
Life happens! We get it. Travel, shift work, a young child at home with a microwave and nobody to watch them. Tell the Member-at-Large before the meet and we'll sort it out. We would much rather have you on deck, but we would far rather you told us than quietly disappeared.
What happened to the $300 "didn't volunteer enough" fee?
It's gone, for now. The old per-season non-completion charge was a penalty we felt went too far. If everyone shows up, we don't have to bring it back.
Where do i sign up?
In Captyn, alongside meet entries. Shifts open about 10 days before the meet, so please claim one early rather than waiting to be asked on the day.
Jobs for Meet VolunTeers
At any meet, home or away:
- Timer. Stand behind a lane with a stopwatch. Start on the horn, stop on the touch. Two or three timers per lane, so nobody's number has to be perfect. Five minutes of instruction and bob's your uncle.
- Runner. Collect the timer slips between heats and walk them to the desk. No training needed.
- Head timer. Run a backup watch, start everyone's watches, and swap in when a timer needs a break. Ten minutes of instruction.
- Meet Marshal
- Meet Official: requires training and certification. Hours booked through USA Swimming, but count towards WAC required hours.
At meets WAC hosts, add:
- Concessions. Sell food. This brings real money into the club.
- Hospitality. Feed the officials and coaches, who are working a ten-hour day.
- Setup and breakdown. Before the first session, after the last.
- Ribbons. Sort, label, stuff folders. A sit-down job, and good company.
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No experience is needed for any of these.
Level Liaisons
Fourteen People, Optional
Two per practice level, A through G. A one-session term, so you choose again every three months and nobody's signing up for forever.
- Welcome people. Help a new family decide whether they belong here.
- Connect people. Kids quit because their friend quit. Friendships don't form on their own when everyone arrives four minutes before practice and leaves immediately after warm-down.
- Notice people. When a kid has a great swim, make sure somebody says so out loud. And notice a family that's gone quiet or struggling to make it to practice or meets.
- Translate what's happening. Turn club news into what this means for us this week.
What we ask: two to four hours a month, a personal note to each new family at your level, and getting your level together somewhere informal a couple of times a session, right after practice (so nobody makes a second trip).
What you get: a real budget you don't have to ask permission to spend, ideas so you never start from a blank page, and a Batphone to a Member at Large who answers you, fast.
Not required: swim knowledge, free time, event-planning skill, or years at WAC. What matters is that you show up consistently and you're warm to strangers and long-time teammates alike. That's basically the whole job.
Event Volunteers
Raise a Hand, Optional
WAC runs four whole-team events a year:
- September: First Splash
- December: The Holiday Party
- May: Awards Night
- July: A summer day out!
Each one needs about a dozen people doing one specific job each. Examples include but aren't limited to:
- Planning: Help the board bring these events to life!
- Welcome table. Name tags, greet every arrival, make sure no new family walks in without someone saying their name. About two hours.
- Food lead. Receive the food, set out the buffet, keep it stocked, pack it down. About three hours.
- Grill crew. Burgers, dogs, veggie burgers. Two or three people, about two hours.
- Activity lead. Run one station: tie-dye, yard games, whatever the event needs. About two hours.
- Setup crew. Tables, chairs, signage. Arrive an hour early.
- Cleanup crew. The one nobody volunteers for. We will thank you loudly.
- Photographer. Candid shots for the newsletter. Your phone is fine.
Oh, and twice a year, it's bubble time. Putting the pool bubble up in the fall and taking it down in the spring are two scheduled, all-hands calls, not a committee anyone has to join.
The dates go on the calendar the moment we know them, and we'll ask once, loudly, for each. Show up.
If you've been here a while:
The old list of eight General Club Support committees is gone. Just for posterity, here's where each piece went:
- Liaisons became the Level Liaison role, a bigger job with a budget and real support behind it.
- Social Committee was absorbed into Level Liaisons and Event Volunteers.
- Locker Room is retired, for now. The club is exploring a paid arrangement.
- Bubble Maintenance is retired as a committee. It is now two scheduled calls, fall and spring. Show up.
- Fundraising is now one or two people, appointed by the President.
- USA Swimming Officials moved under Meet Volunteers, where it belongs.
- Volunteer Tracking is retired. Sign-ups and tracking now live in Captyn and with the Member at Large and Level Liaisons.
- Social Media is now handled by the Vice President.
*The club reserves the right to make mistakes and learn along the way.
FAQs
Both parents want to help. Does that count as two shifts?
Yes. Two people, two shifts, whether that is at one meet or spread across two.
My swimmer only swims half the meets on the calendar.
Then you owe half the shifts. The rule scales with how often your swimmer actually races.
What if I don't know how to do... any of it?
Sign up to time! Five minutes of instruction on the day and you're set. Odds are you'll be standing next to someone who's done it 50 times.
Where do I sign up?
In Captyn, alongside meet entries. Shifts open about 10 days before the meet itself, and we'll put the word out every time.
What happened to the raffle?
Still on. It is our only mandatory fundraiser, and it now lives on the Fundraising page rather than being tangled up with volunteering.
Officiating
Becoming an official is a great way to learn the sport, contribute to the team, and help swimmers improve -- and it does count towards your required Meet Volunteer hours.
NOTE: Unlike the other Team Experience positions, USA Swimming officials require training, testing, and time shadowing an experienced official.
Want to watch your kids swim AND get your steps in?
Please contact Harold Baker (757-229-8662) if you think you're interested in training to be a meet official or have any questions.
